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It’s taken more time than I anticipated, but I’m finally ready to announce the name change from “SoupArt Designs”, to “RefreshedArt Designs”, to more accurately reflect the nature of the scriptural art that I create and share here, and in honor of the ministry my husband and I are privileged to share.

A couple of years ago, my husband and I started a Saturday morning music ministry for area senior living residences. We invited long-time fellow musicians and singers to join us, and we became the (re)freshed band. The (re)freshed band takes it’s name from Philemon 1:5-7:

“I’ve heard of your love and faithfulness, which you have both for the Lord Jesus and for all God’s people. I pray that your partnership in the faith might become effective by an understanding of all that is good among us in Christ. I have great joy and encouragement because of your love, since the hearts of God’s people are refreshed by your actions, my brother.”

It’s a continuing joy for me to share imagery created to honor scripture. Though the volume has diminished somewhat the past couple of years, I am still dedicated to this blog and I will continue to add new images as time permits.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes,what is in part disappears.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Kind words are like honey–sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. [Proverbs 16:24 NLT]

Recently, on Facebook, I participated in one of those somewhat silly re-posts where I challenged my friends to “leave a one word comment that best describes me, using the first letter of your first name.” To be honest, I didn’t expect much response. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised! I want to thank everyone, again, for taking the time to say such nice things about me; at the end of a difficult week, reading your kind words really perked me up and inspired me to create this Wordle image to capture them:

As Mother Theresa said, “Kind words are short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

Like the story about the teacher who boosted the self-esteem of each child in her class when she had everyone write one nice word about each of their classmates, then transcribed them and presented the pages to each child, I can look at this any time I’m feeling a bit defeated and feel better. Thank you, my friends, for such sweet echoes!

Music and the arts are gifts of God, creatures in their own rights.
Their proper use is only natural for those who recognize the hand of the Creator
in these creatures and know how to use these gifts for the praise of God,
service to thy neighbor, and proclamation of the Gospel.
As we explore the redemptive power of Jesus Christ in the arts,
we exercise the capacity to live as Christian people in many other ways. ~ Martin Luther